Reflector signal marker for highway use

ABSTRACT

A triangular reflector signal marker for highway use which meets standards of the National Highway Safety Bureau for such devices. A folding reflector signal marker is mounted in a box which provides a storage container for the folded signal marker and which serves as the base for the signal marker in its erected, operating position. The box has two identical portions which are hingedly connected so that when the box is open the body panels of the box portions are coplanar and may rest on a supporting surface. A first pivotal connection permits the signal marker to be moved from a position within the box to a position above and parallel to the long dimension of the box, and a second pivotal connection permits the signal marker to be turned across the box in operating position.

[ July 3,1973

[ REFLECTOR SIGNAL MARKER FOR HIGHWAY USE [75] Inventors: Elmo L. Meek;Richard E. Kinder, both of Wichita, Kans.

[73] Assigneez Miro-Flex Company, Inc., Wichita,

Kans.

221 Filed: May 16, 1972 [21] Appl. No.: 253,824

54,243 11/1967 EastGermany ..l16/63 P 6/1956 France 1/1965 116/63 PItaly 116/63 F Primary ExaminerLouis -J Capozi Attorney-Axel A. Hofgrenet a1.

[57] ABSTRACT A triangular reflector signal marker for highway use whichmeets standards of the National Highway Safety Bureau for such devices.A folding reflector signal marker is mounted in a box which provides astorage container for the folded signal marker and which serves as thebase for the signal marker in its erected,-operating position. The boxhas two identical portions which are hingedly connected so that when thebox is open the body panels of the box portions are coplanar and mayrest on a supporting surface. A first pivotal connection permits thesignal marker to be moved from a position within the box to a positionabove and parallel to the long dimension of the box, and a secondpivotal connection permits the signal marker to be turned across the boxin operating position.

7 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures REFLECTOR SIGNAL MARKER FOR HIGHWAY USEBACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION TheNational Highway Safety Bureau haspublished standards which are expected, within the foreseeable future,to require that all passenger automobiles, trucks and buses carry atleast one reflector signal marker which, in the case of the passengerautomobile requirements, must be accessible to a person in the frontseat of the automobile. The reflector signal markers, when erected, musthave the shape of an equilateral triangle which is 20 inches on a sideand must be sufficiently stable when erected to meet rather drasticrequirements for stability in high winds.

Applicants are aware of only four patents which relate to foldingreflector signal markers which are equilateral triangles when set up.They are as follows:

French Pat. No. 1.124.659, published Oct. 16, 1956.

U. S. Pat. No. 3,135,235 issued June 2, 1964.

British Pat. No. 1,167,085 published Oct. 15, 1969.

U. S. Pat. No. 3,593,681 issued July 20, 1971.

None of the foregoing patents discloses a reflector signal marker whichcombines simplicity of erection and return to a stored condition withthe stability required by the National Highway Safety Bureau and withanother requirement of the National Highway Safety Bureau that bothsides of the reflector signal marker must present the identicalappearance.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION ln'accordance with the present disclosure, along, narrow storage box for a folding triangular reflector signalmarker has two identical box portions which lie side by side when thebox is opened so that the body panels of the two box portions may restflat upon a supporting surface. A double pivot arrangement permits thereflector signal marker to lie in one portion of the box when it isfolded, so that the box may be closed with the entire signal markerinside it, and permits the signal marker to be pivoted on an axisparallel to the length of the box to a position above the edges of thebox walls and then rotated 90 on a second pivot so that it is transverseto the length of the box and the base of the triangular signal markerbears firmly against the edges of the box wall to provide greatstability of the signal marker on its box-base.

The signal marker is easily erected, and in its erected condition thebox provides a base which is longer than the height of the signal markerand which underlies nearly one-half the width of the signal marker so asto afford great stability in all directions.

THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a reflector signal markerembodying the invention when it is collapsed and closed in its box forstorage;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the reflector signal marker of thepresent invention in its erected, operating position;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the device of the invention to a scale largerthan FIGS. 1 and 2, with the box open and the signal marker in itsstorage position;

FIG. 4 is a transverse sectional view taken substantially as indicatedalong the line 4--4 of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 5 is a transverse sectional view taken substantially as indicatedalong the line 5-5 of FIG. 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Referring to the drawings indetail, the reflector sig' nal marker of the present invention includesa long, narrow box having substantially identical first and second boxportions 11 and 12. The box portions 11 and 12 have long, narrow bodypanels 13 and 14, respectively, and they have upstanding perimetricalwalls 15 and 16, respectively, which are of equal height and each ofwhich has an outer edge, said edges being designated 15a and 16a,respectively. The box portions 11 and 12 are provided, on the outersurfaces of their body panels 13 and 14, with rubber feet 17.

The two box portions 11 and 12 are connected together by hinge means 18which extends along adjacent outer edges of the perimetrical walls 15and 16 along a long side of the box so that the two box portions 11 and12 may occupy a closed storage position as illustrated in FIG. 1 or anopen position as illustrated in FIGS. 2 to 5. In the open position thebody panels 13 and 14 are coplanar so that the feet 17 may rest upon asupporting surface.

A reflector signal marker, indicated generally at 19, consists of a basemember 20 and side members 21 and 22, with each of the side membersbeing connected at one end, designated 21a and 22a, respectively, byrespective hinge members 23 and 24 with opposite ends of the signalmarker base member 20. The signal marker base member 20 and side members21 and 22 are all molded from single pieces of plastic, and the hinges23 and 24 are provided by thin plastic sections which permit the sides21 and 22 to be moved from the folded position of FIG. 4 to the erectedposition of FIG. 5. In erected position, the free ends 21b and 22b,respectively, of the signal marker side members are connected to formthe apex of an equilateral triangle.

Each of the signal marker members 20, 21 and 22 is constructed to meetthe requirements of National Highway Safety Bureau standards, andaccordingly they have bodies of orange fluorescent material and borderareas of red reflective material which are on both sides of thereflector so that it presents an identical appearance from eitherdirection.

The reflector signal marker is mounted for movement between the storageposition of FIG. 3 and the erected operating position of FIG. 2 byconnecting pivot means, indicated generally at 25. As best seen in FIG.3, the connecting means 25 includes a U-shaped pivot bracket 26 which isriveted to the perimetrical wall 15 equidistant from the ends of one ofthe long sides 10a of the box, and at that side of the box nearest thehinge 18. A U-shaped signal marker mounting member 27 is connected byloose rivets 28 to the pivot bracket 26, with the rivets providing anaxis of rotation of the mounting member 27 which is parallel to the longside 10a of the box.

Also forming part of the signal marker mounting means is a pivot boss 29which is molded integrally with the signal marker base member 20 andwhich is impaled by a headed stud 30 that provides a pivotal connectionbetween the signal marker base member 20 and the mounting member 27 onan axis which is perpendicular to themounting member pivot axis providedby the aligned rivets 28.

The double pivotal connection permits the folded signal marker 19 to bemoved from the storage position of FIGS. 3 and 4 to a position (notshown) in which the pivot 30 is upright as viewed in FIG. 5 but thesignal marker is still parallel to the length of the box. The signalmarker may then be rotated 90 on the pivot 30 to bring it to anoperating position in which it is oriented transversely with respect tothe length of the box. In this position a pair of pressure bosses 31which are molded integrally with the signal marker base member 20 bearfirmly upon the top edges a and 16a of the box walls 15 and 16 inalignment with the pivot 30 so as to stabilize the signal marker 19against lateral rocking movement.

To hold the signal marker in its erected position and stabilize itagainst rocking movement longitudinally of the box, a strut rod 32 isprovided which has a return bend 32a at one end which pivotally mountsthe strut rod in a sheer formed loop 33 in the box body panel 14. Instorage position the rod 32 rests in the bottom of the box portion 12 asseen in FIG. 3, while in the erected position of the signal markers therod 32 is swung to an inclined position with its free end portion 320impaling a pair of aligned holes 210 and 22c so as to connect the freeends 21b and 22b of the side. members in the erected position of thesignal markers.

Finally, a combined latch spring finger and stop member 34 is welded tothe box wall 15 in an upwardly projecting position where it is abuttedby one of the signal markers base bosses 31 to fix the flare in itsoperative position extending transversely of the length of the box andat 90 to the length of the box. When the signal markers is folded andthe box is closed, the spring finger 34 frictionally engages the innerface of the box wall 16 to normally hold the box closed.

The foregoing detailed description is given for clearness ofunderstanding only and no unnecessary limitations should be understoodtherefrom, as modifications will be obvious to those skilled in the art.

We claim:

1. A reflector signal marker for highway use comprising, in combination:

a long, narrow box having substantially identical first and secondportions each of which has a rectangular body panel and an upstandingperimetrical wall with an outer edge, said walls being of equal height;

hinge means connecting an outer edge of each perimetrical wall to anouter edge of the other such wall along a long side of the box so thatthe two box portions may selectively occupy a closed storage position oran open position with the body panels of the two portions coplanar;

a pivot bracket within the box, said bracket being secured to one of thewalls equidistant from the ends of a long side of the box;

a signal marker mounting member pivoted on said bracket on an axisparallel to said long side of the box;

a folding reflector signal marker having a base member and a pair ofside members each of which has an end movably connected to an end of thebase member and a free end, said side members being movable between astorage position along side the base member and an erected position inwhich said signal marker forms an equilateral triangle;

means for connecting the free ends of the side members to one another insaid erected position;

and means pivotally connecting the signal marker base member to thesignal marker mounting member on an axis perpendicular to the mountingmember pivot axis;

whereby said signal marker may selectively occupy a storage positionlying in one of the box portions or an operating position with its basemember overlying the outer edges of the box portion walls and extendingtransversely of the long sides of the box.

2. The reflector signal marker of claim 1 in which the pivot bracket issecured to the side of the box which has the hinge connection.

3. The reflector signal marker of claim 2 which includes means on thesignal marker base member that, in the operating position of the flare,firmly abuts the box wall edges in transverse alignment with the pivotmeans for the signal marker base member.

4. The reflector signal marker of claim 3 which includes a stop memberthat projects upwardly from one of the box walls in the open position ofthe box, said stop member being located to orient the signal marker basemember at substantially a right angle to the long sides of the box inthe operating position of the signal marker.

5. The reflector signal marker of claim 4 in which the stop member is afixed, resilient finger which serves as a friction latch when the box isclosed.

6. The reflector signal marker of claim 1 which includes means on thesignal marker base member that, in the operating position of the signalmarker, firmly abuts the box wall edges in transverse alignment with thepivot means for the signal marker base member.

7. The reflector signal marker of claim 1 which includes a rod that hasan end pivoted within the box near the latter.

1. A reflector signal marker for highway use comprising, in combination:a long, narrow box having substantially identical first and secondportions each of which has a rectangular body panel and an upstandingperimetrical wall with an outer edge, said walls being of equal height;hinge means connecting an outer edge of each perimetrical wall to anouter edge of the other such wall along a long side of the box so thatthe two box portions may selectively occupy a closed storage position oran open position with the body panels of the two portions coplanar; apivot bracket within the box, said bracket being secured to one of thewalls equidistant from the ends of a long side of the box; a signalmarker mounting member pivoted on said bracket on an axis parallel tosaid long side of the box; a folding reflector signal marker having abase member and a pair of side members each of which has an end movablyconnected to an end of the base member and a free end, said side membersbeing movable between a storage position along side the base member andan erected position in which said signal marker forms an equilateraltriangle; means for connecting the free ends of the side members to oneanother in said erected position; and means pivotally connecting thesignal marker base member to the signal marker mounting member on anaxis perpendicular to the mounting member pivot axis; whereby saidsignal marker may selectively occupy a storage position lying in one ofthe box portions or an operating position with its base member overlyingthe outer edges of the box portion walls and extending transversely ofthe long sides of the box.
 2. The reflector signal marker of claim 1 inwhich the pivot bracket is secured to the side of the box which has thehinge connection.
 3. The reflector signal marker of claim 2 whichincludes means on the signal mArker base member that, in the operatingposition of the flare, firmly abuts the box wall edges in transversealignment with the pivot means for the signal marker base member.
 4. Thereflector signal marker of claim 3 which includes a stop member thatprojects upwardly from one of the box walls in the open position of thebox, said stop member being located to orient the signal marker basemember at substantially a right angle to the long sides of the box inthe operating position of the signal marker.
 5. The reflector signalmarker of claim 4 in which the stop member is a fixed, resilient fingerwhich serves as a friction latch when the box is closed.
 6. Thereflector signal marker of claim 1 which includes means on the signalmarker base member that, in the operating position of the signal marker,firmly abuts the box wall edges in transverse alignment with the pivotmeans for the signal marker base member.
 7. The reflector signal markerof claim 1 which includes a rod that has an end pivoted within the boxnear an end of the latter, said rod being movable between a storageposition lying in the box and an inclined bracing position in which itsfree end engages the apex of the signal marker in the operating erectedposition of the latter.